Study in Netherlands
Holland is one of the most popular destinations for international students, and that’s not weird as it is rich with some of the elitist universities in the world. Moreover, study in Netherlands follows modern educational methods with European and international students. The Netherlands was one of the countries that previously adopted a system of granting Bachelor and MA degrees as well as offering several programs in the English language, as you could choose any major you aspire to among so many Bachelor and MA degrees in about 70 of higher education institutions. It's notable that there is a big number, estimated by 112.000, of international students who study in Holland.
About 16% of international students study in the Netherlands, and that’s one of the highest ratios anywhere in Europe. As many other European countries, universities in Holland are classified as whether “research universities” offer more research-oriented academic programs, or “universities of applied sciences” offer more practical-oriented programs.
Conditions for study and admission to Netherlands universities:
General requirements:
The Bachelor Degree:
If you have successfully completed high school in one of the countries that signed to the Lisbon Agreement, a valid school leaving certificate and a qualification to get undergraduate degree at your home country, you will also be qualified to get an undergraduate degree from Dutch universities. You might be asked to prove your command in the Dutch language or the English language. In some cases, you might be required to get extra qualifying training courses.
MA Studies:
If you apply for the Master program in one of the Dutch universities, you must have a Bachelor degree or any equivalent certificate from an accredited university
Doctoral Studies:
If you plan to get a PhD from a university in the Netherlands, you must be a bearer of a diploma or MA degree from a certified university.
Language requirements for study in Netherlands universities:
If you choose a specialization or a study program that’s taught in the Dutch language, you have to present a proof of mastering the language. That's can be attained by presenting the results you get in the following training courses:
- Dutch language certificate as a foreign language: you can present the results you get in Profile Language Skills Higher Education (PTHO) or Profile Academic Language Skills (PALS).
- The Dutch Language as a Second Language.
If you choose a major or a study program that’s taught in the English language, you are required to prove that you have an excellent command in the English language, through presenting the results you get in the following tests:
- TOEFL: 550 (PBT), 213 (CBT) or 79-80 (IBT).
- IELTS: score 6 at least.
Other tests may be admitted; therefore, it’s better to contact the university in order to know if the certificates you got are acceptable or not. Generally speaking, the European higher education institutions ask students to have a level of mastering the language in which the course is taught that’s equivalent to Level B1/Level B2 according to the European Passport Scale.
You can refer to your college or university in case you need a higher level of the language. Students are sorted out according to their grades’ averages based on their previous studies. Students who get an 8 score or more are automatically given a place in the training course they choose. In order to know how you will score at European universities, you can use the European Score Comparison Chart.